Technically, the Sword is Mightier
by masterful liar
Summary: An epically long Castle fic with violence, intrigue, and of course flirtation. Designed to fit seamlessly anywhere in show after "Knockdown."
1. Chapter 1

Technically, the Sword is Mightier

_Author's Notes: _

Setting_: Takes place after the kiss, so they've had the whole "I'm not the plucky sidekick, I'm your partner, your fight is my fight, etc" talk. _

Characters_: Beckett's boyfriend isn't in the picture. They've either broken up for one reason or another or he never existed or he died and Beckett moved on quickly. I don't really care, he's just not around. _

Story Arc_: I have a storyline planned, but my ideas may change as I get into it. I know there's not much action in this first chapter, but I'm just kind of establishing everything. I promise stuff will get exciting in the future!_

_PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks! _

CHAPTER ONE

"You know, there's no shame in calling in sick every once in a while," Castle admonished Beckett, leaning as far back in his chair beside her desk that he could manage without tipping over. He smirked as he took a sip of his coffee, watching her irritation grow just as he knew it would.

"I'm not sick, Castle. I'm just tired. And you're being annoying." The detective's response was clipped and a hint higher-pitched than usual. Ryan and Esposito glanced up from their desks a few feet away, sensing a sparring match on the horizon.

"Exactly. You're tired. Normal people take sick days when they're too tired to go into work. Besides, you've earned it. You're tired because we all –" he paused momentarily, seeing Beckett's annoyed gaze raise from the stack of paperwork on her desk up to his face, "- and yes, I'm including myself in that statement because you would have never solved the case had I not known that the bookstore on 15th only sells hardback books – _we_ _all_ solved a major case last night and went out for celebratory drinks afterward. I happen to know for a fact you did not go to sleep until at least 3 a.m."

Kate rolled her eyes, "And how would you know that? We all left the bar at 1."

"Yes, but you always go for a long jog on the treadmill in your apartment after solving a case, no matter what the hour," Castle responded, arching an eyebrow at Beckett's startled expression.

"How in the world did you know that?" She asked, finally putting her pen down and focusing entirely on the conversation at hand.

Ryan and Esposito's eyes flew back and forth between the partners, completely giving up the charade of working. Castle/Beckett arguments were so much more exciting than paperwork.

"Because, _detective_, I just know. Did you think it was just a coincidence that Nikki Heat does the same thing?"

"No, _writer_, I just figured it was a convenient way to get her to have yet _another _sleazy sex scene." Kate said pointedly, leaning forward over her desk on her elbows. "Oh, and for the record? The one in _Heat Wave_? Totally cheesy. I thought you were trying to make these books exciting and sexy, Castle. So far all I've read is lame and trite."

Ryan and Esposito raised their eyebrows and exchanged surprised glances. Beckett never discussed Nikki Heat. In fact, she studiously avoided the subject and always changed topics whenever the sex scenes were brought up. The two cops had a running bet – Esposito was hedging his bets that Beckett and Castle were already hooking up, or at least had that night they were called out to her apartment and he had been making her pancakes, and she was too embarrassed to dwell on it. Ryan argued the much more unlikely theory that everything was as it seemed – that they really hadn't acted on their feelings at all.

Castle balked at this criticism – both surprised and pleased with Beckett's mention of Nikki Heat. Pausing for a moment to consider his response, the writer grinned mischievously before leaning forward so he was inches away from her face, "Well, you know, if you feel Nikki Heat needs a bit more passion in the bedroom, it is my duty as her writer to let you demonstra-"

"CASTLE!" Kate said sharply, cutting him off. "EITHER GO MAKE THE DAMN COPIES OR GO HOME." Having realized that their flirtation had drawn quite a crowd, she leaned back and switched back into cop mode. "I asked you to make the copies over 45 minutes ago. We aren't working on a case right now, I have a pile of paperwork to go through, and I'm really too tired to deal with your antics right now." She let out a huff of air, sinking back into her seat and running her hand through the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. "So either make yourself useful and help me out here, or go home and bug Alexis."

"But, and let me say that I am now repeating myself, since this was my response when you asked me 45 minutes ago…" Castle put down his coffee cup, looking up at the detective as he clasped his hands innocently in his lap. "I don't want to make copies. Gimme a case! Come on – there's got to be _something_ exciting I can do!" He hopped up and down in his seat, a little boy begging for a trip to the candy store.

"Ugh!" Kate groaned, finally snapping from slightly flirty to completely annoyed. "You can't just shadow me on the exciting cases, Castle! There's usually down time between cases, and that's when even crazy exciting detectives like Nikki Heat have to write some reports. I think it's a bit unrealistic for you only to shadow me when we're doing something exciting – real police work involves a LOT of paperwork."

Realizing the conversation had started to die down, Esposito rolled his eyes and returned to the paperwork piled up on his desk as Ryan's phone started to ring.

Castle raised his eyebrows, nonplussed. "You don't get to be a New York Times bestselling author by writing about people sitting at their desks filling out reports."

Beckett rolled her eyes, found a pile of fresh reports on the corner of her desk that needed to be copied and filed. She set the stack in Castle's lap. "You said you'd do anything for me. You said you were my partner," she reminded him under her breath.

He looks at her, surprised she would bring up such an intimate conversation in such a light situation. "I know what I said and I absolutely meant it," he responded in equally hushed tones. "But…" He rose, placing the pile of folders back on her desk. "There's a difference between taking a bullet for you and making copies for you," he said, back at normal volume. "Besides," he said, moving quickly past the weight of the statement that had caught Esposito's attention again, "the copy machines here suuuuck! Please let me buy you a new one. Or at least pay you to hire some interns to do this menial work. You know, Alexis has been looking for some more work to pad her resume…"

Just as Kate was about to respond, Ryan hung up and stood quickly, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair and heading for the door. Beckett honed her sights in on him "Ryan!" she barked, causing him to freeze mid-step and slowly turn to face her.

"Where are you going?" She asked sharply.

Ryan's eyes widened in confusion. "Uhh… Just got a call from a buddy of mine down in narcotics. Says a girl I locked up a few years ago got out on parole last week and was just busted again. I'm going down to see her – he thought I could talk some sense into her. She had kind of a brush with some crazy stuff back then and I really thought she had gotten past all that…" He trailed off, seeing Beckett's eyes narrow. "I mean. I don't have to go!" He stuttered, confused by her reaction. "I was just... Since we're not too busy here, I mean, well busy with stuff that absolutely needs to get done immediately, I thought it would be… Do I need to ask permission?"

"As long as you take Castle with you, I don't care if you take a trip to the moon," Beckett said. "Just get him away from here so I can actually accomplish something today," she said, her eyes returning to the page in front of her.

"But it's not a case or anything," Ryan responded, confused. "It's just a routine traffic stop – she was pulled for a taillight not working and they found some pot in her car."

"I don't care, just get him out of here!" Beckett ordered, not looking up.

"Field trip!" Castle cried, instantly excited. He grabbed his jacket and twisted to throw a wink over his shoulder as he followed Ryan out of the precinct. "Try not to miss me too much, detective."

"Uh!" Kate growled in annoyance, throwing herself into her paperwork. She couldn't figure out if she was more annoyed by the fact that his presence distracted her from doing her job, or by the mere fact that she found his presence so distracting to begin with.

About an hour after Castle's departure, Beckett was interrupted out of the zone she had fallen into by a soft voice coming from the direction of Castle's chair. "Detective?"

Kate turned, startled. "Oh, Alexis! You scared me!" She said, putting a hand over her chest to recover.

The girl laughed, showing off her cheerful smile. "My dad was right – you must be really tired! I've never known anyone to sneak up on you!" She placed a full mug of coffee in front of Kate. "It's from that place in Rockefeller Center I know you like – Dad said this is your favorite flavor."

Kate hesitated only a moment before taking a huge swallow of the warm liquid, letting the caffeine work its way deliciously into her system. Normally, such a thoughtful move from Castle would have been met with annoyance that he knew her so well and annoyance that she was touched by it. She considered grumbling for a moment and refusing. She flat out hated it when he was right. But she just couldn't bring herself to play games with Alexis, so she just let her thankfulness shine through. "Well, thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Heaven knows I need it after last night."

Alexis just smiled in understanding.

"So what brings you here today? I thought you had one of your many club meetings after school most days. And your dad left with Ryan about an hour ago…" She trailed off, glancing at the large watch on her wrist. "Come to think of it, they should be back by now…"

"Well, we had our big debate meet last weekend, so practice for that has ended for the next few weeks," Alexis said. "But I'm not here for my dad – I'm here to help you! College application time is just around the corner, and every little bit of work counts. I don't know if you have any internships that are currently available, but I would love to do some volunteer work! Even if you can't officially recognize my position, it will still look good on my resume! And dad said you had some copying and filing to be done? I know he doesn't like to do that sort of thing, but I understand that it's the little things that make all the difference in making everything flow smoothly."

Kate momentarily considered sending the girl home – after all, it was a beautiful Friday afternoon – but one glance at the pile of papers waiting on her desk made her reconsider. Besides, Alexis _had_ come here voluntarily… "That would be wonderful, Alexis," the detective said, gathering some of the documents she had been collecting in Castle's empty chair. "Do you mind? I know it would make a huge difference in my day – and I'm sure Esposito could use some help, too."

At the mention of his name, the man spun around in his chair, grinning broadly. "Yeah, that'd be awesome, Lex. Oh, and hey, I wanna show you something! Didn't you say you were looking into Harvard? One of the guys on the softball league here went there. I got him to bring me some info, so I could give it to you." He reached into his desk, pulling out a folder and handing it to Alexis. "Apparently he's got some pull over there, too, because his dad contributed a bunch of money or something. Anyway, I thought you may be interested."

Castle's daughter beamed, opening the folder carefully and reading the paperwork intensely. "Oh, thank you so much! That is so nice of you to do – I actually had a phone interview with them the other day…."

Kate tuned their conversation out as she looked back at her computer screen to resume her work. The whole precinct loved Alexis, which Kate always got a kick out of. All these macho men turned into the sweetest guys when Alexis was around. Whether it was because they loved Castle so much or Alexis just had that charm about her, Beckett didn't know.

She took another sip of the caramel macchiato, closing her eyes momentarily to let the warmth and scent slowly wake her up. Although the cappuccino machine Castle had donated made delicious coffee, something about the way Dean & Deluca made theirs just had her addicted. A fact she had not realized Castle knew. This was one of the few instances when she really didn't mind that Castle was so observant.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks so much to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it! Keep 'em coming _

"Ryan! Thank God you're finally here," one of the cops shouted to the Castle and Ryan as they reached the scene. Two cop cars were flanking a beat-up yellow VW Bug that had been pulled off of 181st in one of the residential areas in Washington Heights. Two of the four cops on the scene were searching the Bug while the other two were speaking with a short, skinny young woman with frizzy brown hair and very pale skin. As the duo approached, the girl turned to face them, anger flashing in her eyes momentarily as she looked from Ryan to Castle and back again.

"Wrong, all wrong…" She muttered in her breath, nervously chewing on her stubby fingernails. She nervously tugged a tangled strand of hair with her other hand. "Sent the wrong cops, all wrong.." She continued to mutter as she tapped her foot, a nonstop collection of nervous tics. She stared fixated on the cops searching her car.

"Rebecca?" Ryan asked, worried, once he was within earshot.

"She's a mess," the cop who had shouted at to them said once Ryan and Castle joined them. "She just keeps talking to herself and shouting at us to stay away from her car. The only coherent thing she's said this whole time is something about calling you. Said you'd vouch for her or something?"

"Yeah, I know Rebecca from years back…" Ryan said, waving off the cop's confusion and turning toward the girl. "What's going on here?" He asked gently, trying not to increase her already obvious worry.

Seeming to hear what was being said to her for the first time, Rebecca stopped fidgeting long enough to look at Ryan directly. She straightened, composing herself. "Finally, someone smart enough to ask _me_ what's going on!" She said loudly, directing her complaint toward the cops that were now flanking Ryan. Her eyes focused temporarily on Castle, "Who's that?"

"He's just observing, now what's going on?" Ryan said, brushing away her question to get to the point. Rebecca remained focused on Castle for a moment, her expression one of concentration, before snapping back to the matter at hand.

The cops rolled their eyes then turned to shake hands with Castle, saying their hellos as Ryan spoke with the girl.

"These morons," the girl pointed, "Pulled me for a busted taillight, which to begin with is just stupid, since I didn't even know it was busted till they pulled me anyway." She dropped her hand to her side, looking at Ryan, "How can I get busted for something I didn't know I did?"

Ryan nodded, impatient. "Get to the part with the drugs, Rebecca."

"Geez, alright! So these guys pull me over and say I'm acting shifty or something, so they order me out of the car and say they're searching it."

Ryan glances up at the cops still talking to Castle. One of them nods to confirm Rebecca's story. "We had cause – she was definitely acting drugged and the car smelled like booze."

Ryan nodded, understanding how someone seeing Rebecca for the first time would immediately assume she was on something. He had arrested her for the very same reason all those years back, but he had learned after visiting her in rehab that even sober, she was always paranoid. He crossed his arms and cleared his throat, waiting for the final part of the story.

"Anyway, so they found just the smallest, littlest, stub of a baby little joint under the floor mat in the backseat," Rebecca said, hands running through her hair again. "There's barely even any pot in there, it's ALL wrapper, and I swear, I SWEAR, I didn't even know it was there. It must have been back from my wilder days," she said, looking at Ryan, eyes pleading. "You couldn't possibly arrest me for that, right?"

Ryan sighed, loosening his tie and walking towards the cops searching the car. "Just let me see if your story checks out, Rebecca."

He leaned over the cops' backs, overseeing their work as they methodically removed mats from the floorboards and tilted the car seat to look behind it. "So what did you _really _find in here?" Ryan asked the cops under his breath.

One of them looked up and pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket containing the short stub of a joint, handing it to Ryan. "Oddly enough, sir, she was telling the truth. So far, this is all we've found. And we've been pretty thorough in our search, considering her record."

The other cop spoke up, "Yeah, we were just called here for backup due to her _behavior _more than anything. Dan over there," he nodded at the officer with Castle who had called Ryan, "called us in before he ever searched for a joint. Said she was acting crazy – he thought drugs at first, which is why we searched it, but after observing her behavior while we waited for you, now we just think she's crazy."

Ryan handed the joint back to the cop, "Yeah, she has an uneasy way about her. After I popped her for dealing, she was transferred to a mental ward. She had some pretty serious stuff to deal with growing up, but the hospital really helped her out." He ran his hand through his hair, looking over at Rebecca who was now staring intently at Castle as he joked around with the arresting officer. "When she cleaned up, she was such a sweet kid. Got started at a young age because her dad was a loser, you know the story. She's only 19…" He sighed, stuffing his hand back in his pocket. "I really thought she had changed for good, you know?"

The cops nodded as they straightened up outside of the car, their search complete. "Well, if you want to know my opinion, I believe her. The taillight isn't a major offense and she was right about that joint – there's barely any pot left in there at all. And it could easily be leftover from before her arrest. Her records say she was just released last week, right?"

Ryan nodded, pursing his lips as he followed the officer's line of thought.

"Truth be told, as odd as her behavior is, I don't think it merits an arrest. I think she's just nervous for getting pulled so quickly after getting out, you know? Although," the cop backtracked, "It is your call."

Ryan nodded again, walking over to Rebecca, who had slowly begun to inch closer to Castle and Dan to overhear their conversation. "Hey, Rebecca, can we talk?" We asked, motioning for her to join him a few feet out of earshot from everyone.

The girl joined him, still checking periodically over her shoulder as though to monitor Castle's moves. "Listen, Rebecca. I know it's been a really hard couple years for you. But I know you can make it out here – you really straightened yourself out, and you had found something you loved that didn't involve any of this trash – remember how you got so involved with that creative arts program in the facility?"

Rebecca nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear as it blew in the wind. The eagerness in Ryan's voice drew her away from Castle and focused entirely on the situation at hand. "Yeah. I was really into painting. The teacher said I was good."

Ryan nodded encouragingly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Exactly. So why don't you try to get involved with something like that now that you're out? I'm sure there are art studios around here looking for someone to take classes, or supply stores in need of clerks. If you want, I can do a little research and help you out. I just don't want you slipping back into your old habits."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed defensively, "Just because you found a tiny, old stub in my car does NOT mean I'm using again, Ryan. I'm not doing that again – I'm straightening out, just like you said. I actually was thinking about applying to this little local gallery in SoHo, but… I mean, if I get popped during my probation for something as little and stupid as this, I don't think I'll ever really get another chance to apply for any real work again, you know?"

"I know, Rebecca. Which is why I'm going to give you another chance, ok?" Ryan said softly, trying to convey the weight of his words to the troubled girl. "We'll write this up as just a routine traffic stop and faulty equipment. I don't want you to blow your second chance on an old mistake."

Rebecca smiled broadly for the first time since he had arrived on the scene, surprising Ryan with a sudden hug. "Oh my God, thank you SO much, Ryan! Thank you, thank you. I promise, I'll be good. Really, I really will."

Ryan chuckled, backing out of her grasp carefully, and putting a reassuring hand on her arm. "I hope you are, Rebecca." His tone turned back to serious momentarily, "Please don't make me regret this."

"You won't," she said happily, "Oh, I swear you won't."

"Alright, sounds good," Ryan said, stepping further from Rebecca as he saw one of the cops looking at them questionably after the teen's outburst. "Ok, let's go talk to Officer Dan here and then you can be on your way. Castle and I have to get back to the station anyway. Beckett is probably wondering where we are…" He trailed off as he saw Rebecca, who had been following him back to her car, freeze mid-step.

"You okay?" He asked, confused. Rebecca's eyes were now staring intently across the sidewalk at Castle, who had by this point picked up on the attention and was staring right back, looking just as confused as Ryan.

"Rebecca?" Ryan prodded. The girl ignored him and suddenly broke into a quick stride, headed directly for the writer. "Rebecca!" He called after her, jogging to reach Castle at the same time she did.

"Is there a problem?" The girl asked Castle loudly, jabbing her finger into the writer's chest. "Why do you keep staring at me? Huh? Mr. Pretty Boy here never seen a 'troubled youth' before? Huh? Is it hard to watch?"

Castle backed away, expression befuddled and arms raised in surrender. "Whoa, hey, hey! There's no problem! No problem here – I didn't say anything!"

Ryan reached out for Rebecca, but she shrugged away his restraint. "Oh, like _you're_ so perfect!" She said, louder, continuing to push Castle in the chest with the palm of her hand. Castle's back was now against the wall of the nearby building.

"Whoa, Rebecca! Calm down! He didn't –" Ryan's protests were cut short when Rebecca reached out both hands and violently shoved Castle against the wall.

"Well, stop staring!" The girl shouted in Castle's face. "I'M NOT SOMEONE YOU CAN JUST OBSERVE, OK? I'M NO ONE'S ENTERTAINMENT!"

"Rebecca! Stop it!" Ryan shouted, grabbing her arms to restrain her from behind as the other cops came rushing up to help.

The girl ceased her struggle momentarily, allowing Ryan to minutely relax his grip. The moment she felt the pressure around her wrists lighten, Rebecca yanked her right arm out of Ryan's hold and punched Castle in the face.

"Ow!" The writer shouted, grabbing his nose that had already started bleeding.

"Okay, that's it," Ryan said, wrestling Rebecca away as she squirmed underneath the hold of what was now three cops. "I don't know what just happened, but you're under arrest."

Castle titled his head back to press his nose against the towel the remaining cop had rushed to give him. He watched Rebecca wrestle against Ryan and the others as they pressed her face down on the hood of her car. She turned her head to stare at him, and as Ryan snapped the cuffs on her wrists, Castle could swear she was smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

_Can anyone find the Dr. Horrible reference in here? Also, thank you so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! They motivate me to write more _

"You got slugged by a girl?" Lainey's question was squeezed between bursts of laughter.

"Well it wasn't like I was gonna hit back! She cornered me! And she's just a kid! I was NOT going to…" Castle trailed off arguing with the M.E. bandaging up his nose when he saw Kate walk in, suppressing a grin.

"Aw, little Ricky get beat up on the playground?" The detective's voice echoed in the tiled room as she approached Castle, a smile plastered across her face.

"Afternoon, detective. Glad to see you're in a better mood. I suppose that macchiato had the desired effect?" The writer did his best to grin at her, but winced as the movement stretched his sore nose.

"Well, the coffee helped, but what's really perking me up is the sight of you finally getting what was coming to you," Beckett said, leaning in to get a closer look at his injuries. "That girl finally did what I've been wanting to for years."

Taking advantage of the detective's close proximity, Castle leaned even closer to her face and dropped his voice slightly, "You know what I've wanted to do for years?" He asked quietly, arching an eyebrow.

Beckett's eyes widened and she quickly popped straight up, far away from the writer's beckoning expression. The memory of their kiss was still very fresh, and often visited, in the detective's mind, but she was making a point never to directly address it. Or its potential implications.

Sensing the moment had passed, Castle cleared his throat and snuck a glance at a curious Lainey who was grinning with her arms folded across her chest, watching the little scene unfold. "Now, don't be so smug, detective, what if I actually _had _been seriously hurt? Then how would you feel about making fun of me?"

Beckett laughed, leaning back against a nearby table. "Well, I probably would make fun of you for getting beat up by a girl regardless of the extent of your injuries. But I called Ryan to see where you two were on your back and he told me what had happened. He said you were fine."

"Aw, detective, I didn't know you cared," Castle flirted, wincing once more as Lainey resumed dressing his injury. "Ooh, maybe a little gentler, Lainey?"

"Oh, yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" The M.E. said sarcastically, finishing up her taping and giving Castle's face a quick once-over as Beckett laughed and walked out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, Lainey leaned in close to Castle's face and dropped her voice to a whisper. "And don't you dare think, Richard Castle, that I don't know that something happened between you two. Because I know. I don't know what you did, or what she did, or when you did it, but I know something's changed."

Castle swallowed, eyes widened slightly out of intimidation. "But how-"

"And I am here to tell you that if you ever wanted to have a shot with her, this is it. I don't know how you did it, but she seems to have relaxed around you and I think she's actually considering it."

Right as Castle opened his mouth to inquire further, the door swung open and Esposito walked in. "Hey, babe…"

He cut himself short immediately, seeing Castle in the room. Lainey quickly stood up and backed away from the writer. "Babe?" She asked, laughing nervously, shooting a look at Castle. "Who are you callin' babe?" 

Esposito's eyebrows shot up, nervously rubbing the back of his neck and looking from Castle to Lainey and back again. "No, I didn't say… I was just… Uh... Hey, Castle, I hear you were hit by a girl!"

"So what's the story here?" Beckett asked Castle when he joined her back at her desk, face covered in tape.

He turned to look at Ryan escorting Rebecca down the hall in handcuffs. "It was the strangest thi– ow! It hurts to talk! What did Lainey do?" Castle responded, grabbing his nose midsentence. "I can't talk without pulling the tape…" He started peeling it off, fidgeting and adjusting. "Ow! I… But… Ow!" He kept muttering, rifling around in her drawers for a mirror as he kept messing with his injury. He began peeling off all the bandages and tape the M.E. had secured on his face, leaving his nose red and swollen.

Beckett rolled her eyes, returning her attention to Ryan and the girl, who seemed to have caught a glimpse of Beckett as she made her way through the station and was now staring intently at the detective. "Wow… She certainly is creepy, huh?" Kate muttered under her breath to Castle, who turned his attention away from his reflection and back toward the girl.

"Yeah, creepy's right." He agreed, also speaking quietly. "She was staring at me like that just about the entire time we were down there. Just staring at me, neither one of us saying anything, when all of a sudden she up and slugged me." He shrugged, "Maybe you shouldn't look at her. Wouldn't want to get slugged, too." He rubbed his face where bright pink lines were forming where the tape had been. "Wouldn't want to give Lainey the chance to devise some weird torture for you, too."

"Hmm…" Beckett murmured, not looking away from the girl's stare.

Slowly, the detective rose and walked towards the girl, never breaking eye contact. Castle looked up, surprised Beckett was taking such an interest in the girl. He quickly followed her.

The girl's eyes widened as she saw Castle and Kate approach her together, but as soon as the pair was within hearing range, her face snapped into a huge smile. "Kate! Oh, Kate! It is so good to see you!" The girl cried, moving her shoulders as they she intended to hug Beckett, then struggling as she realized she was still in cuffs. "Oh, it's been too long! You look great! How are you?"

Castle and Ryan exchanged alarmed glances over the girl's head as Kate walked a bit closer. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

Rebecca's face turned at first to shock, then outrage, then back to joyful again. "Oh, Katie, you're such a kidder! We just saw each other last week!"

Beckett's face remained unchanged from its cynical expression. "Oh, that's right," she said. "Yeah, last week." She laughed, casually leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets, acting completely at ease. "Man, that was a good time."

Rebecca nodded, laughing along with Beckett. "Katie and I do our laundry at the same place." She explained to Castle and Ryan. "We were both there Wednesday and Saturday, of last week. Except this week you skipped!" The girl said, turning back to Kate. "What's up with that?" She asked, half jesting and half accusatory.

"Aw, well, that's Castle's fault," the detective said, not missing a beat. She motioned over to the writer, "He surprised me with dinner." She glanced over at Castle, "And he had tried so hard, I couldn't turn him down… No matter how bad it tasted."

"Hey!" Castle protested, but Ryan put a hand on his arm, calming him. Clearly Beckett was working an angle on the girl and he wanted to see how it turned out.

"Oh!" Rebecca responded, eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, well I hadn't realized you two… Kate, I am so sorry! If I had known he was your boyfriend, I never would have hit him!"

Castle cleared his throat, waiting for his apology. The girl turned, eahring him. "Oh, where are my manners?" She asked, smiling in embarrassment. "I'm Rebecca Summers. And you are Castle, is that correct? What an unusual name?"

"Uh, it's my last name, actually." He said, looking at Kate over Rebecca's shoulder, who was currently in the midst of a silent argument with Ryan. "I'm Rick. Rick Castle."

The girl scrunched her face in concentration, "Rick… Castle…" She said quietly. "That just sounds so familiar!"

Castle, unable to let a chance to brag go by, jumped on the opportunity. "I'm a writer."

"Oh! Anything I may have heard of?" Rebecca asked brightly.

"Uhh…" Castle stalled, confused. He glanced at Beckett, who's face matched his. Surely this girl, who seemed to have convinced herself she and Beckett were best friends, would have known about the pair's connection. Kate nodded, indicating he should continue. "Well, the Derek Storm series, for one." He started, pausing for a reaction from the girl. Her face remained blank. "And I'm currently working on my Nikki Heat series – the latest one is called 'Naked Heat,' just about to come out in paperback."

Rebecca pursed her lips, "I'm sorry, I don't think I've heard of any of those. They sound very interesting though!"

Ryan, Castle, and Beckett looked at the girl, shocked. Beckett resumed her composure first, "Yes, well, it was great to see you again. But I'm afraid I have to get back to work."

"Oh of course," Rebecca replied, "I'm sorry to take you away – I was just so excited to see you!"

Beckett nodded and turned to return to her desk. Castle followed, shooting the creepy girl one final inquisitive look.


	4. Chapter 4

_High marks to all the people who correctly identified the Dr. Horrible "Laundry Day" reference – it's so reassuring to know I'm not the only Whedon dork out there! I leaned pretty heavily on the creep factor last chapter, so this time around it's really pretty fluffy. But have no fear – the action's going to heat up soon! Thanks so much for the reviews – keep 'em coming! __ (I really think I deserve at least a few reviews for this chapter…)_

"Oh, c'mon detective, it'll be fun!" Castle smiled flirtatiously as leaned on his elbows on the corner of Beckett's desk, trying to convey his excitement to the woman. "I'll buy you another dress…" He said temptingly, cocking an eyebrow.

Kate narrowed her eyes, "That won't be necessary. And you know, Castle, you can't just buy me with pretty dresses."

He raised his eyebrows in victory, breaking into a grin. "Great! So you'll do it?"

The detective sighed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, acting as though agreeing to be Castle's date to his latest book party was a huge drag. Secretly, she was thrilled. "Fine!" She acquiesced, sounding exasperated.

Castle clapped his hands in victory. "Excellent! It's settled then – I'll be by with the limo around 7 to pick you up. The dinner they're throwing for me starts at 7:30, and it's just a few blocks from your place, so I figure we'll have plenty of time."

Beckett was about to ask him about the surprising addition of the limo – just how nice _was_ this "small dinner" Castle had originally mentioned – when Ryan stopped by her desk.

"Hey, Ryan? What in the world was that all about?" Kate asked, motioning with her eyes toward the girl who could now be seen heading down the hall back to the precinct's front door.

"Besides completely bizarre, and slightly frighteningly insane, of course," Castle supplied.

"Right – super bizarre. But she said it was all just a big misunderstanding," Ryan shrugged. "We ran a drug test on her though – just in case – and she came out clean. She said she was still just antsy about getting back out into the real world. And since you're not officially an officer," he motioned to Castle, "We can't charge her assaulting a cop. So we just rang her up on basic assault, made her pay a fine, and she's on her way out."

Beckett waited expectantly. "That's it?"

"Well, the worst of it is that she's got these charges – I kept the traffic stop on her record too, by the way – on her record and she's on probation. So it's a much bigger punishment than it sounds like."

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Glancing at his watch, Ryan said his goodnights to the pair and headed home for the weekend.

Smiling, Kate shuffled the last few papers on her desk into a file folder which she carefully placed in one of her drawers before standing and stretching. "Ah – I hate paperwork, but there's something so satisfying about having a clean desk at the end of the day. You can actually see proof of your efforts that day."

Reaching for her jacket hanging on the back of her chair, Beckett was cut off as Castle reached it before her and helped her shrug it on. The pair made their way through the lobby, Beckett's hand finding the crook of Castle's arm as he escorted her, a habit that felt more natural each time they did it.

"Drinks?" Beckett suggested, but Castle shook his head.

"I would love to, but unfortunately, no. I have some work I have to get done myself tonight before all the madness of my day begins tomorrow," Castle said, opening the door for her to walk through the lobby.

Beckett looked momentarily disappointed, then confused. "Well, wait – if you had so much work to do, why didn't you just stay home and do it today? There wasn't really much worth observing here."

Castle paused a moment, his hand on the door handle, preparing to push it open for the two to enter the cold night air. He leveled his gaze at Beckett, "Yes, there was." He corrected.

Beckett, startled by this comment, stared back at him, touched. She was about to say something about how she enjoyed his presence at the precinct, even when he was annoying her, when he broke the gaze and pushed the door open.

"So just how fancy is this dinner tomorrow, Castle? I feel like you're not telling me something," Beckett changed topics as they walked out together and started making their way down the block to their waiting cars.

"Umm… Well, it's minorly fancy," the writer admitted.

"What? But you said –" Beckett started.

"Only _minorly_ fancy!" Castle insisted, cutting off her protests. "You can totally handle it – just the shortest of all red carpets and a handful of celebrity guests."

Beckett stopped walking, dropping her hand out of Castle's arm and turning to face him, her face in full interrogation mode. "Castle, why is there a red carpet at what is _supposed_ to be just a minor paperback release party? Last I checked, the book the party is in honor of has been out for months. What. Aren't. You. Telling me?"

"Well…" Castle flashed Beckett his most charming grin, "The party may or may not also be the official press all call for the Nikki Heat movie. I figured it would be fun to get pictures of the real Nikki Heat with the actress portraying her."

Beckett's jaw clenched tightly in anger. "Castle…" She warned.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey! You already agreed to come – I need a date. You said you didn't have any plans tomorrow night. And it's free booze! What more could you ask for!"

The detective crossed her arms, remaining completely silent. She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to continue.

"Well… ok, how's this. If you don't like the party, we can definitely bounce early and go for drinks wherever you want," the writer said, trying to reach a compromise.

"Galway Pub," Kate ordered, naming a bar she had no particular affinity for, but knew Castle hated.

"Galw – really? I hate that pla – " Castle protested, then cut himself off after seeing Kate purse her lips silently, arms still crossed. "Ok, fine. We'll go to your precious Galway Pub if you're not having fun at the party."

He turned, offering his arm to Beckett, ready to resume walking. She didn't budge. Castle looked at her, confused. "What? Do you…. Ok, ok, you win! We'll go to Galway Pub even if you love the party. We will go there, tomorrow night, for drinks, _on me_, no matter how much you do or do not enjoy yourself at this fabulous, star-studded red carpet event which anyone else _in the world _would kill to go to. Happy?"

Kate smiled, taking the offered arm. "Sounds like a plan. Now let's go, I'm cold."

The couple briskly continued their walk, passing a bundled up group of passengers waiting at the bus stop. Near the back of the group, a hooded Rebecca smiled as Castle and Beckett walked past her, oblivious to her overhearing their conversation.

"How in the world did your face heal so quickly?" Beckett asked as she opened the door when she heard the knocks at 7 p.m. sharp, revealing a tuxedoed Castle with no apparent damage to his face at all.

Castle remained silent, slowly drawing his appreciative gaze down the length of the detective's curve-hugging red dress that stopped just above the knees, bare legs, stiletto black heels, and back up. He lingered momentarily at the simple, straight cut boat neck of the dress. Ignoring the detective's annoyed throat-clearing, Castle pursed his lips and resumed his gawking for a few more moments. While for all intents and purposes it was a very simple dress – no fancy sequins or plunging necklines – it fit Beckett like a glove and came across as beautiful and classy with a subtle sexiness. While he certainly wouldn't have _minded_ if the detective had decided to show some skin, he couldn't help but give his full approval.

Finally, he snapped out of his reverie, looking Kate in the eyes. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

She rolled her eyes, "Enjoying the show? I asked how you got your face to look so good."

"Well, aside from just being born that way, I have a confession," he admitted, shooting her a boyish grin. "I'm not going to lie to you detective, I may be wearing more makeup than you this evening."

Beckett laughed, breaking into a broad smile. "Well, whoever did your makeup worked some magic. You'd have to be right up in your face to even tell anything was off."

Castle leaned in, "Are you sure about that? Maybe you could step a little closer and see for yourself."

Kate rolled her eyes again, this time still smiling. "I'll go get my jacket."

With that, she turned and walked back into his apartment, revealing that the dress was completely backless and plunged daringly low. Castle sucked in a sharp breath.

"You ok back there, Castle?" Kate's humored voice echoed back through the apartment to the front door. She obviously knew exactly what was going on and was enjoying it.

"Yup, just… uh… trying to get rid of the hiccups," he lied, trying his hardest to cease the endless stream of memories of their kiss from flashing through his mind. Tonight was going to be a long night.

"Could you believe it when that _Times_ reporter asked me if _I _had any experience in stripping?" A slightly tipsy Beckett giggled, leaning over the small two-person table she was sharing with Castle at Galway Pub. Her barstool wobbled at her shift in weight, causing Castle to lean forward and steady her.

"Whoa there, calm down," he laughed, enjoying this rarely-seen side of Beckett. "Wouldn't want to end this night with a broken leg."

"And then," Beckett continued, ignoring her near accident, "that guy from the _Post_ asked me if I would have a cameo in the Nikki Heat movie?"

Castle, satisfied that Kate was firmly back in her stool, leaned back. "Well, why would that be a weird question? I'm sure you could have a cameo if you wanted one. I'm definitely going to be in there somewhere."

"Wait, really?" Beckett stopped laughing, seeming to consider the possibility seriously for the first time. "Well then I guess I actually should have given that casting guy my phone number when he asked."

At this, Castle's eyebrows shot up, "Wait, _who _asked for your number? Because they don't need it. If anyone needs to get to you, they can go through me. Just how much did you drink at that party? I mean, I know you've had a few drinks here, but you barely touched any champagne at the party – there's no way you actually believed some idiot guy who said he was the casting direc…" He trailed off as Beckett broke into laughter. "Oh, very funny. See? I knew you were smarter than that."

"A little overprotective there, Castle?" Kate teased, taking a sip from her martini. " 'If anyone needs to get to you, they can go through me,' " she imitated, smiling over the rim of the glass.

Seeing she was nearing the bottom of her drink, Castle motioned to the bartender for another. "Hey, it's only natural. You spend the majority of your day protecting me from criminals and gangsters and anyone else with a gun and judo-trained skills who would want to do me harm. I figure it's fair if I try to protect you from a couple measly scumbag guys every now and then."

"Oh, yeah?" Kate put the glass down, the liquor making her brave. She leaned forward on her elbows, lowering her voice so Castle had to lean forward. "Is that what you were doing the other night when you kissed me? Just protecting me from the scumbags of this world?"

Gulping, Castle took a deep breath. He knew Kate had been drinking, but he had drunk with her before. She could hold her liquor better than he could, and he was just beginning to feel the effects of his drink. That meant she was perfectly aware of everything she was implying. This was his chance. "Well, yes…" He started, leaning even closer, a mere inch from the detective's lips. Their eyes met as his voice dropped to a whisper, "But maybe it was also because I wanted to…" He leaned forward, reaching one hand up to clasp the side of Kate's face.

"Hey, Katie!" A loud girl's voice bubbled from above, breaking the spell. The partners sat up quickly, Castle's hand almost knocking over the full martini glass he hadn't seen the bartender deliver.

"Uh… Rebecca?" Kate asked, running her hand through her hair to compose herself. She cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact with Castle as she addressed the girl. Castle smiled, noticing that Beckett's cheeks were bright red. Then he turned his attention to the girl, fully intending to return the punch she'd given him earlier for interrupting the moment.

"You… sure look different…." Beckett said, slowly taking in the girl's appearance. She was dressed in straight cut jeans with heels and a fitted collared shirt, tucked into the pants. A leather jacket topped off the outfit.

Beckett and Castle exchanged looks. Rebecca was wearing a nearly-identical outfit to what Beckett had been wearing at work the previous day.

"Oh, I decided that I'm going to go by Becca now!" The girl said brightly. "I got a new wardrobe, too. You know, just kind of a physical way to express my fresh start on life now that I'm out of the hospital on have my second chance!"

"Becca?" Castle asked apprehensively. "As in… Beckett?"

The girl looked at Castle, annoyance flashing on her face before it was replaced with surprise. "Oh, why I didn't even think about that! How funny is that, Katie? We have the same name now!"

"Uh-huh…." The detective said slowly, staring intently at the teen. "Funny."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

"So… What are you doing here, Becca?" Castle asked carefully, his eyes revealing he was afraid that any second the girl would suddenly wind up and punch him again. He edged a bit closer to Beckett with his seat, trying to show the girl that he was protective of the detective. Of course, both he and Beckett knew that if it came down to it, she'd be doing all the protecting.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and remembered you talking about your boyfriend taking you out for drinks after his movie thing," Becca answered, directing her words to Beckett.

"Uh…" Beckett stammered, needing a moment. She was thrown by the girl's sudden appearance and the near-kiss she and Castle had almost just shared. "When did we…" She trailed off, slowly remembering her conversation with Castle as they passed by the bus stop. She sharply looked at the writer, who had clearly made the connection at the same time.

"So how was it? Did you and your boyfriend have fun?" Becca asked, smiling widely at Beckett as though they were sharing a secret.

"Actually, he's not – " Beckett started.

"Yeah, it was great," Castle interrupted, wrapping an arm tightly around Beckett's shoulder and leaning in affectionately. "Wasn't it fun, honey?" He asked, smiling encouragingly.

Beckett turned to look at him, momentarily surprised to find his face so close to hers once more. "Yeah," she said quietly, realization dawning. She did not like this new plan Castle had just sprung. "Yeah, it was fun." She agreed softly, looking into his eyes with concern.

Beckett had been on the force long enough to know that the moment a stalker realized the object of his or her obsession was romantically involved, any anger or violence that stalker was prone to suddenly release would switch targets to the significant other, in an effort to eliminate their presence in their obsession's life. "Castle…" Beckett warned under her breath. She had read the Derek Storm novel in which the hero dealt with a crazed stalker. She knew Castle was fully aware of his actions. He was directing any future violence toward himself in an effort to protect her.

"Totally worth it," he responded, his voice deep. Before Beckett knew what was happening, Castle quickly leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Casual, as though he'd done it a hundred times before. Just as suddenly, he leaned back to a normal distance from the detective. "It was totally worth it, detective, wasn't it?" He continued his voice back at full volume. He winked at her, enjoying the blush he saw rushing to her cheeks. "After all of your complaining, going to that party was fun after all. I told you you would enjoy yourself."

"Uh… Yeah," Beckett said, turning back to face Becca. "But I really am surprised you overheard our conversation about coming out here for drinks," she said, returning to the root of the matter. "I don't recall telling you we would be here."

"Oh you did," Becca said, smiling, and placing a hand softly on the detective's arm. "Remember? It was yesterday when we met at the station for lunch."

"For lunch?" Castle asked, his eyes shooting up. "I thought you were there for punching me in the face," he asserted.

"Well, I have to run," Becca said, continuing to completely ignore Castle as she glanced at her watch. "See you, Katie. I'll call you later."

With that, the girl turned with a wave and walked out of the bar.

Beckett and Castle remained still for a moment, his arm still wrapped tightly around her shoulders, as they stared silently as the doors through which Becca had exited.

"So…." Castle said, trailing off.

"Yeah," Beckett agreed.

Another moment passed, the partners sitting in more silence, Castle squeezing Kate's shoulder tighter. "Ok, _now_ can we please have her followed? She gave me the heeby-jeebies all done up like that," Castle said.

"I'll talk to the captain first thing Monday," Kate murmured, nodding in agreement.

Minutes went by as they continued to stare at the door until the pair heard the bartender announce Last Call. At that, Castle broke the trance they had slipped into and stood, grabbing Beckett's jacket and helping her into it. "Time to go?" He asked quickly.

"Yeah" she said quickly, simultaneously.

With that, the partners quickly slipped into a cab.

"I just don't get it. I can't figure it out. Why is she so obsessed with you? I mean, not that you're not completely worth being obsessed over," Castle quickly corrected himself, realizing how badly the first half of his statement sounded. "I'm just saying, it's weird."

Beckett didn't turn, her gaze remained focused on the lights bouncing off the windshield as the cab took them south on 3rd Ave. "I think…" she said slowly, carefully considering each word. " I think she was wearing my clothes."

Castle instantly turned to her, alarmed. "What?"

"That blouse… I lost it. I loved that blouse and for the life of me I couldn't find it anywhere in my apartment. So I bought a new one, nearly identical. That's what I wore yesterday." Beckett said, still slowly, as she pieced everything together. "Now that I think about it, I think the last time I saw that blouse was last week when I was at the Laundromat."

"So she stole some clothes out of your laundry." Castle said. It was a statement, not a question. He believed it – Becca was far beyond the realm of merely creepy at this point.

"I just don't get it either, Castle," the detective, snapping out of her haze, repeated the writer's words. "Why the obsession? What is she trying to accomplish?"

"Usually a stalker has an end goal they're trying to meet," Castle contributed. "Whether it be sexual or violent or just wanting to become their target, there's always something they want."

"Right," Kate agreed. "But I just don't see this as a sexual motivation."

Castle nodded in agreement.

"Nor is she violent – and I don't foresee her escalating into violence," Beckett commented. "After she was in the precinct the other day, I searched her records. She has a history with drugs and a couple moving violations, but no history of violent behavior at all."

"So, just be clear," Castle said, his voice taking an indignant turn, "We're just ignoring what she did to my face?"

Beckett laughed at his incredulity.

"Because I'm NOT," he continued, ignoring her. "This is serious! This face has been on the cover of _People _and _Time_ magazines. Although personally, I think the best picture ever taken of me was that spread on TMZ when you arrested me last year and you were leading me to the cop car. My favorite part is how, even in a blurry paparazzi cell phone shot, you can see how much we're enjoying the sight of me in those cuffs. Speaking of which…" He arched an eyebrow at Beckett.

Just then the cab stopped in front of Beckett's apartment.

"Well, would you look at that? This is my stop." Kate teased, grabbing her bag and opening the door. "See you Monday, Castle."

"So how was the book party Saturday?" Esposito asked Castle as he walked into the precinct and headed for Beckett's desk, two coffees in hand.

"Great!" He responded enthusiastically, checking his watch in confusion when he saw Beckett's desk was still empty. Shrugging it off – for all he knew she was in reporting Saturday night's activities to the captain – he placed Kate's coffee down and turned to face the cop. "It was great. We had a blast – the food was delicious, the DJ was great, Beckett looked unbelievable, by the way," he dropped his voice a couple pitches on that last point, making sure not to be heard by anyone else.

"Yeah?" Asked Ryan, doubtful. "I mean, no offense to Beckett or anything, man, but half of Hollywood was there, right?"

Caste nodded. "She beat them all. Just _trust me_, gentleman."

Esposito nodded, "Yeah, Lainey said they went dress shopping together and Beckett said something about having to 'beat that Nikki Heat slut of an actress at her own game.'"

Castle and Ryan turned to look at Esposito, eyebrows raised, waiting.

"Oh, come on, I know you know about me and Lainey," Ryan said, rolling his eyes at Castle. "Ryan told me."

"Oh, ok," Castle said, nodding, and making his way back to Beckett's desk. He glanced at his watch. 8:43 a.m. This just wasn't like her.

Grabbing one of the files off Kate's desk, Castle propped his feet as he started flipping through, finding something to do. "You two know where Beckett is?" He asked the two cops, not looking up from the file, which had turned out to be Rebecca's.

"Nah," Esposito said as Ryan said "Nope," simultaneously.

"Huh…." Castle said, immersed in the file. "Probably be just another minute…" He said, losing himself in Rebecca's police record.

After finishing up the detailed account of Becca's stay in the mental facility, Castle dropped the file on Kate's desk and stretched, yawning. He glanced at his watch. 9:21 a.m. Beckett's meeting with the captain was taking a lot longer than he had expected.

As Castle flipped to the next page, the beginning of Becca's rehab treatments, the captain walked into the room. "Anyone seen Beckett this morning?" He asked loudly, addressing the room, though his eyes remained on Castle.

"She wasn't with you?" The writer asked, instantly alert. He pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. "Straight to voicemail," he repeated, looking at the chief.

Ryan and Esposito stood, "We'll go to her apartment, sir. Canvas the neighborhood," Ryan volunteered.

"No need to do that just yet," the captain said, looking at the clock on the wall. "As of right now, she could have just slept through her alarm." He paused, exchanging loaded glances with Castle. Everyone knew Beckett didn't do that.

"Only one of you needs to go," he continued, motioning to the two standing cops. "Esposito, you and Castle head to her place. Ryan, we need a cop here to handle anything that comes up in Detective Beckett's absence."

Ryan, disappointed to be stuck in the office, nodded and sat back down.

Esposito nodded at Castle, who had already grabbed his coat and was redailing Beckett. Voicemail again. "I've got a bad feeling about this…." The writer said under his breath, following Esposito out to the car.

"Kate!" Castle called loudly, knocking on the detective's apartment door. "Kate, are you in there?" His voice was rising, panicked. "Listen, we're about to come in there, so if you're naked or in the shower or something, then… Well, it's your fault for not answering. We warned you."

He nodded at Esposito, who raised his foot to kick down the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" Castle asked, grabbing the cop's arm. "You'll break the door that way." 

Esposito stared at Castle. "Uh… Yeah… That's the idea."

Castle rolled his eyes and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Or, you could be civilized and just unlock the door," he said, finding the correct key and inserting it into the lock.

"You have a key to Beckett's place?" Esposito asked, amused.

Castle ignored him, pushing open Beckett's door, then jumping out the way for Esposito to enter, gun drawn. "Beckett!" He called out, checking out the rooms in her apartment efficiently. "Clear," he shouted out to Castle.

The writer entered the apartment, looking around for anything out of place. "Kate!" He called loudly.

"She's not here, bro," Esposito said, worried. He entered the main room where Castle was standing still in the center of the room, eyes closed. "Are you… Praying or somethi-"

"Shh!" Castle cut him off, waving his hand. "Listen!" He whispered loudly.

Very faintly, the pair could make out a muffled noise that seemed to be coming from the coat closet in the main hallway.

Castle quickly walked to the closet and opened the door, ignoring Esposito's warnings to be cautious.

There, curled up in the corner of the closet, was a bound and gagged Kate Beckett staring back at them.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

_As always, thanks for the reviews __ I love it! Also, I had not realized my scene breaks weren't showing up in the text here online – when I type the story in Word, I definitely have breaks, but it wasn't transferring. SORRY FOR THE DELAY! Thanks for bringing that to my attention – I'll see if I can figure out a better way to do it! Now, back to Castle…_

"Kate!" Castle yelled, quickly falling to his knees to crouch over the detective. He carefully untied the gag wrapped around her face and let it fall to the ground, quickly going to work on the ropes binding her hands.

"Took you guys long enough!" Beckett snapped as soon as she could speak. "Here, help me with my feet so I can get outta this stupid closet." The detective rasped, her voice weak.

"Hold on just a second," Castle ordered, placing a restraining hand on her arm. "Are you ok? Do we need to call a medic? You probably shouldn't move." He spoke calmly and deliberately; his voice was full of concern as he tried to subdue the agitated detective. He carefully inspected her rope burned wrists, turning them over softly in his hands and running his thumbs lightly along the bruises that were starting to form where the rope had been.

Esposito remained silent standing outside the closet door, watching the scene unfold. He couldn't really do anything until Castle pulled Beckett out of the closet, since it would be impossible to fit all three of them in there. Watching the writer carefully untie Kate's feet and slowly help her sit up, Esposito was reminded of the few times he had seen Castle worry about Alexis. The serious, grown-up version of the little boy Castle they had all grown to love was very rare and therefore always taken seriously.

"I'm fine, Castle," Kate assured him, rubbing her temple with her newly-freed hands. "I just have the _worst_ headache," she whispered, her voice nearly gone. "I don't think anything's broken," she continued. She looked up at Esposito, "No need to call the medic, I'm fine."

She extended an arm to Castle, allowing him to slowly help her to her feet outside of the closet. "I'm fine," she repeated, still rubbing her head. "Just…" She started, focusing on the floor in front of her and suddenly clutching Castle's arm tightly. "Really woozy." With that, she collapsed, Castle grabbing her just in time.

"Call an ambulance," Castle said to Ryan quietly, helping Beckett stumble to a nearby couch.

"No, no!" The detective insisted, struggling to stay awake. "I'm fine," she said again, "Fine..." Her eyelids fluttered shut as Castle tried to make her as comfortable as possible by arranging the numerous pillows on the couch.

"Whoa, whoa, Kate!" Castle said loudly, shaking her shoulder gently. "Listen, I need you to stay awake until the ambulance gets here, ok? We don't know if you have a concussion, so I don't want you passing out on me."

"Hmm…" Kate murmured, clearly already half asleep.

"Wait, no! Kate, listen!" Castle said louder, placing both hands on Beckett's shoulders. He glanced at Esposito, who was hanging up after calling for medical help and for Ryan. The cop immediately began inspecting Kate's front door for signs of a forced entry. When he found none, he began a basic sweep of the apartment. He knew that if Beckett could remain alert, she'd be ok. And he knew that there was no use trying to get involved in helping her stay awake if Castle was already on it. He could be most useful by doing what Beckett would tell him to do – immediately figure out what happened.

"Kate! Hey, listen, I need a favor, ok?" Castle was talking loudly to Beckett, who was now at least opening her eyes, if squinting in protest of the light coming through the curtains and Castle's loud voice.

"Shut up, Castle, I'm just tired," she whispered, closing her eyes again.

"Nope!" He said loudly. Scooting in next to her on the couch and wrapping his arm around her back, Castle forced Beckett back up to an upright position. "Now, I need you to tell me everything you remember leading up to us finding you in that closet."

Beckett nodded, then let her head fall onto Castle's shoulder. She left her eyes clothes as she spoke. "I, uh… Gym, running." She rasped slowly, breathing deeply between each thought. "Takeout for dinner…" She trailed off. "Then I woke up in the closet."

Castle nodded, equal parts relieved and scared that she wasn't recalling anything violent or more serious. "Ok, so…" He started, but Kate cut him off.

"I think…" She started, struggling to sit up straighter, and forcing her eyes open. "Esposito!" She called, her voice straining to increase in volume. The cop turned to look, surprised to hear Kate address him. "Check the takeout containers." She instructed. Quickly catching on to her suspicions, the cop opened the two Styrofoam containers sitting on the counter, still in a plastic bag. He carefully sniffed each container, then opened the lid of the drink and sniffed. "I think the drink," he confirmed, nodding at Beckett. "You didn't even get around to eating the food. Something either took your attention away from it, or you passed out before."

"Hmm…" She responded, her brow furrowing as she forced herself to think through the haze. "I was drugged," she said, turning to look at Castle and answer his unspoken question, her eyes still unfocused. "Put it in my takeout," she concluded.

Both seemingly satisfied for now with this explanation, Castle let Beckett slump back against him and rest her eyes. He kept a tight arm around her, staring at her face as her breathing slowed. He glanced up at Ryan, his eyes worried. "I don't like this," he said, addressing the cop who had just returned from Beckett's room.

"Me neither," the cop agreed, heading for Beckett's desk. "Some of her drawers had been rifled through, and it looked like there was some stuff missing from her closet, too. So either Beckett's apartment is usually really messy," he paused to look at Castle, he shook his head no, "Or someone's taken her clothes."

"Becca," both Castle and Beckett said at the same time. Castle, surprised she was still paying attention, turned his head back to the detective. Her eyes were still closed, but her eyebrows were moving ever so slightly, tipping him off that she was awake and thinking.

"Hey, shhh… shh.." He whispered into her hair, pulling her closer as she struggled to open her eyes again. "It's ok, you can go to sleep now. I don't think you have a concussion, so you just need to sleep off the drugs."

"Hey, is she ok?" Ryan's voice could be heard from the front door, heralding the flurry of commotion the EMTs and various other cops and medical workers brought. He hurried across the room toward the couch, but stopped mid-stride as he saw Castle holding Kate tightly, looking at her with anxious concern as she slept. Ryan exchanged looks with Esposito, who walked over to Ryan, arms crossed.

"Been like that _all day_, bro." He said, nodding toward Castle, who had taken a step back to allow the EMTs room to examine Kate, but remained hovering, his arms crossed and eyes fixed on her form. "Lainey is sooo gonna win the bet."

Ryan looked at him, "Wait, she's in on this too? I thought it was just me and you."

"Yeah, but neither one of us made this bet, so I think it's allowed." Esposito said, crossing his arms. "I said they were just sleeping together, but she said they're in love."

Ryan turned, watching Castle as he monitored the EMTs actions. "Yeah… Well, I'd say she's right about one of 'em at least."

"I was roofied?" Beckett's incredulous voice echoed through the precinct as she read the tox reports Lainey had handed her.

"Whoa, Kate!" Castle said as he entered the precinct, seeing the detective throw the report down and her desk and begin walking briskly back and forth between her desk and the file cabinets scattered throughout the room. He rushed to follow her, "Are you sure you should be up and about so quickly?"

"I'm fine, Castle," she responded, not turning her attention away from the file she had clutched in her hand. "And I swear, if you hover over me like this for the rest of the day, I will tell Alexis it's perfectly fine to date high school drop-outs who play in a band – I turned out just fine."

Castle straightened and backed away, nodding imperceptibly. "Point taken. Won't hover for another moment."

"Thank you," Kate clipped, spinning away from the writer back to her computer. "Ok, so what is this woman's connection with me?" She asked, dropping the file on her desk and crossing her hands over her chest as she leaned in to stare at the arrest history she had pulled up on her computer.

Castle slowly placed the two coffees he had been holding onto Beckett's desk and lowered himself onto the edge of his chair, keeping his eyes steady on Beckett's face. If she showed any sign of fatigue or a hint that she was going to pass out again, he would be ready.

"Castle!" Kate snapped, never breaking her eyes from the screen. "The drugs are out of my system and I have been asleep for the past 48 hours. I am pretty angry right now and really need a way to blow off some of this excess energy. You keep looking at me like I'm a China doll, and I'll rebreak your pretty little nose."

"Yes, ma'am." Castle said quietly, sinking all the way back into his seat. "So… Are you sure she's the one who drugged you?"

"I can't think of anyone else who would have a reason to," Beckett responded, pacing back and forth behind her desk, focused on her line of thought. "Of course, I can't think of a reason she would want to either. But all the evidence points to her. Although they didn't find any fingerprints out of place in my apartment, there was some jewelry missing – nothing valuable, just random earrings and necklaces that I frequently wear – and a couple blouses and pants. Nothing that would be of value to anyone besides a weird, twisted stalker."

"Huh…" Castle murmured, watching Beckett carefully. He had never seen her so agitated. "When are they bringing her in?"

At that moment, the precinct door banged open, causing the pair to look up. Ryan was leading in a cuffed Rebecca, whose hair now matched Beckett's color and style. She turned and spotted Beckett watching her as Ryan led her down the hall and shot the detective a big smile. "Hey Katie! I thought I'd come to visit!" She shouted cheerfully.

Castle glanced at Beckett, alarmed at the girls' appearance. "That's your shirt," he said, certain this time.

"Pants too," she agreed grimly.

"Well, I guess we have pretty solid proof she was the one in your apartment," Castle said.

Kate didn't respond, just stared at Rebecca as Ryan booked her and led her into the interrogation room. She continued staring, leaning back against her desk with arms crossed as she watched Ryan step into the chief's office momentarily. The instant the chief opened his door and nodded at Beckett, she dropped her arms and grabbed the file off her desk. "C'mon, Castle," she said, determined. "Let's find out why this girl thinks its fun to mess with me."

"Katie! I'm so glad to see you again!" Becca greeted the couple as they walked into the interrogation. Castle took a seat, minutely sliding his chair away from the table as he watched Beckett face her stalker. The detective had been rendered helpless because of this girl, a feeling he knew she hated. Castle figured he'd let her handle this situation. If she invited him to chime in, he would. Otherwise, this was all her show.

"Drop the act, _Re_becca," Beckett said, loudly dropping the file on the interrogation table as she intentionally stressed the first syllable of the girl's name. "And don't call me Katie."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, "But, Katie, I thought we-" she started.

"STOP." Beckett said again, remaining standing so as to tower over the girl. "We are not friends. We have never been friends. You will call me Detective Beckett, as does every other criminal I interrogate in this room."

"What?" The girl cried out, her eyes filling with tears. "Criminal? What did I do?"

"Well, for starters, you drugged me," Kate said, slowly circling the table, listing Becca's offenses. "Then you ransacked my apartment and stole my clothes. Some of which, I'd like to point out, you are wearing right now."

"I didn't steal anything, Katie, I swear!" The girl insisted, panicked.

Kate ceased her pacing to look at Rebecca directly. "Then please explain to me why you're wearing the blouse I received as a Christmas gift last year and the jeans I purchased three weeks ago."

"I – but – because you said I could borrow them!" Rebecca claimed, stuttering. "You said we were like sisters and so it was ok for us to share clothes! I didn't steal anything – you said it was ok!" She insisted, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

Beckett straightened from where she had been leaning over the table, her eyes narrowing. "Rebecca, that's just completely untrue. I would never loan you anything, since _I don't know you_."

Realizing something after Beckett's comment, Castle looked more closely at the blouse Rebecca was wearing. Now he was realizing why it looked so familiar. "Hey, isn't that the shirt I got you for Christmas?" He asked, remembering too late his vow to stay silent.

"Shut up, Castle." Rebecca snapped at him, temporarily pausing her crying. "You're not a real cop. Just go back to your house in Cape Cod with your daughter and leave us alone!"

The comment startled Castle, who quickly looked at Beckett. The annoyance that his interruption had brought to her face vanished at Rebecca's words. The couple exchanged a long look as they each considered where the girl could have gotten such information.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

With each passing moment, Castle became visibly more anxious, his hand itching to pull out his phone and call Alexis to ensure her safety. As he began to slip his hand into his left pocket, Beckett softly put a restraining hand on his arm and gave him a brief, knowing nod, a smile flickering on her lips. She slid down into her chair, crossing her legs and leaning back slowly as Castle swallowed, letting his phone settle back down into the bottom of his pocket.

"That's an interesting piece of information you just dropped there, Rebecca," Beckett remarked, clasping her hands in her lap. She turned and looked at Castle, "Hey, I didn't know you had a house in Cape Cod, when were we talking about that?" She overplayed her interest, reeling Rebecca in. "Surely, if you had been talking to Rebecca about it, I would have overheard."

Castle started at the cop, his face blank. He had no idea where she was going with this. Sensing his continued confusion, Beckett added, "Maybe she read it somewhere, but I just can't think of something that would have that sort of thing listed…."

The light bulb finally brightening in his mind, Castle smiled broadly and shifted his posture to reflect hers. "Oh, Detective Beckett, don't worry – you didn't forget anything since we've never talked about it. Rebecca here is just recalling the blurb about me included on the back flap of all of my books. I hope you don't feel excluded, you are of course invited to stay there anytime you like." He smiled innocently at Beckett before they both turned to face the girl, who was clearly beginning to realize her mistake.

"Well, Rebecca, clearly you're more of an avid reader than you told us before," Beckett said, smiling politely. "I thought you had never heard of the – oh, what is her name, Castle?"

"I believe you're thinking of Nikki Heat, detective."

"Ah, yes. Nikki Heat. I thought you were not a fan, Rebecca?"

The girl's face smoothed into a mask of indifference. "Whatever," she declared, studying her nails.

"I knew that you were a big reader," Kate continued, pulling out a couple pages from the file and placing them on the table in front of Rebecca. "Your primary care psychologist at the hospital said you read more than anyone he had ever worked with before."

Rebecca just shrugged, now intently studying the cuticles on her left hand.

"But could you explain something to me – how is it that you became such a Nikki Heat fan? I'm almost positive a mental hospital would not stock such sleazy pulp fiction on their shelves," Beckett continued, a faint smile playing on the corner of her lips as she caught Castle's reaction in her peripheral.

"In fact, when we first met, Rebecca, I specifically spoke to the hospital about that very topic. They informed me that Richard Castle's books are 'too much' for their patients to handle, as the doctors are afraid the particularly gruesome passages will give patients some unpleasant ideas."

"Do you have a light?" Asked Rebecca suddenly, pulling a cigarette out of her shirt pocket.

Beckett rolled her eyes, exasperated. Castle took the opportunity to insert himself into the conversation.

"Look, Becca, I'm not offended at all," he said, leaning forward, trying to draw the reluctant girls' attention. "I'm flattered, believe me. I love meeting my fans. But I've never met a fan who lied about being a fan. Could you please explain that to me?"

The girl rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, concentrating on twirling the unlit cigarette between her fingers.

"Ok, listen, Rebecca," Castle said, his voice deeper and more authoritative. The girl looked up, momentarily startled. "You drugged Detective Beckett. Not only is that not cool, that's _way_ illegal. You think Nikki Heat's a tough cop? She's got _nothing_ on the real thing, ok? So you tell us exactly why you drugged a New York City detective, broke into her house, stole her stuff, and left her tied in the closet, then _lied_ about it… Or Detective Beckett will make sure you end up in jail. For good this time, no outs for 'mental conditions.' We know better than that by now."

For a moment, Castle's threat hung heavy in the air as all three remained silent, the two sides of the table sizing each other up.

Finally the girl sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine!" She conceded, pursing her lips at Beckett. "I did it all. I took some of your clothes from the Laundromat, I slipped roofies in your drink at that Chinese place when you were in the bathroom, I followed you home and – for the record, I did not break in, since you left the door open – took some of your stuff."

Beckett nodded, encouraged by the girls' apparent momentary mental clarity. "And you tied me up?"

The girl nodded.

"Why? Why did you do all this?"

"Because I thought we were friends, Katie!" The girl said, her eyes starting to glaze over again as her expression returned to confusion.

"Rebecca!" Castle said loudly, trying to startle her back to reality. "How did you get my books in the hospital?"

The girl shook her head, struggling to remain clearheaded. "I – I knew they wouldn't let me read anything fun there. I had been there for months and I was so bored. The books in their library are the blandest things you've ever read."

"Nicholas Sparks?" Castle asked mock-sympathetically, unable to resist a dig.

Beckett shot him a warning look. "So how did you read Nikki Heat? It wasn't published until you were already in the hospital."

Rebecca directed her attention back to her nails as she hushed her voice. "My friend maybe smuggled them in for me," she admitted quietly, rushing her words together.

Castle's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Someone smuggled my books into a mental hospital? That's grea-" He cut himself short at Beckett's expression. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, so you read my books. You knew who I was, you knew who Beckett was, why did you lie about it?"

"Because…" The girl started, unable to look up. "Because I wanted to be just like Nikki Heat," she admitted quietly, starting into her lap, defeated. "I was a fan of yours when Derek Storm came out," she said, her confession suddenly merging together into one long, hurried thought. "When I got popped for drugs then put in jail, I wanted to keep reading your stuff, it was one thing that was familiar, you know? Reminded me of my old life, the outside world and all that. So I got my friend – actually, he was my old dealer, but he's my friend now, since I'm clean, I swear – to cut off the covers of the Nikki Heats and put it in other books – like a Bible and this self-help crap book – so I would be allowed to read it. And while I was ready them in there, I just kept thinking that this girl has it all together – she's got her whole life figured out." Rebecca paused to take a breath, squirming under Beckett's glare. "So I thought, when I get out, I have to meet this girl, because if I can be just like her, my life will be great. I'll get my act together. So… You know… Here we are."

A silence settled over the room as Castle and Beckett processed this information.

"That's a very nice story, Rebecca, and very flattering for both Castle and myself," Kate finally said, "But there's just one problem. You drugged me, entered my apartment, and stole my property."

Rebecca didn't move, staring down at her lap.

"You can emulate someone without stalking them, Rebecca," Castle chimed in, leaning forward. "Where did you get the drugs you used on Beckett?"

"A friend," the girl muttered.

"The same one who brought you the books? Your old dealer?"

The girl nodded, silent.

"Did he know what you were going to use them for?"

The girl shrugged, "Didn't ask. Just gave 'em to me when I got out. Said something about it being a 'welcome back' present. He said he hoped I used them to get the life I wanted or something… Second chances, you know the speech."

"How kind of him," Castle said sarcastically.

"Well, Rebecca," Beckett said as she closed the file and stood, a hint of finality on her tone. "I think we're done here. It's one thing to have role models, but you took it way too far. Ryan will be in here shortly to take you to processing."

Ignoring the girls' protests, Kate motioned for Castle to follow her. "And don't think for a second that you get to keep those clothes." She said over her shoulder as they exited together.

"Well, been one hell of a week so far, huh, Detective," Castle said, leaning back into the booth as he watched Beckett finish her slice of cheesecake. He had offered to take them out to dinner in celebration of closing the case – an intentional step up on his part from just going for drinks. She hadn't seemed to mind.

Putting the fork down on the now empty plate, Kate mirrored his posture and sunk down into the booth across from the writer, letting her body relax and temporarily closing her eyes. "Mmmm…" She agreed, rolling her head lightly from side to side. "Glad it's all over." She said quietly, not opening her eyes.

"You tired again? I thought you said that sleeping for 48 hours straight gave you all this excess energy."

The detective nodded, "Yeah, but it was just a burst – just a little adrenaline. I think the drugs are still in my system. I still feel a little off, you know? A little sluggish." She kept her eyes shut, burrowing deeper into the overstuffed booth. "The chief gave me tomorrow off in the wake of all this. I of course protested…" She paused, squinting one eye open to look at Castle.

"But not too much," he finished, smiling.

"Yeah," she agreed.

A moment passed between the two as Castle motioned for the bill and handing the waiter his card. "It's such a weird drug," Beckett commented thoughtfully, half-asleep. "It makes you feel so out of it and just kind of lingers… It'll be like this tomorrow, too."

Castle raised his eyebrow as she studied the bill, pulling out his pen. "Hopefully this knowledge comes from research and not the voice of experience," he commented, adding tip and signing his name on the receipt.

"Yeah, well," Beckett chuckled ruefully, "Just tell Alexis to always hold on to never look away from her drink at a bar."

Castle's eyes shot up, instantly alert. "What? Did you… Are you… When…" He stammered, terrified of what the detective may reveal next.

"Oh, no, no, nothing happened," Beckett said quickly, opening her eyes and sitting up, realizing what Castle had assumed. "I was out with some of my girlfriends from school – this was years ago – and a guy spiked one of their drinks. She had a boyfriend back home, and she really wasn't much of a drinker, but she was letting this guy just get all over her. So when it was time to leave, we kind of figured it out. We helped her get home and everyone was safe," she assured the writer who was breathing a visible sigh of relief. "Besides, the next day, I went back and kicked his ass," the detective concluded, smiling smugly as she closed her eyes and resumed her lounging.

Castle smiled widely, watching the detective's breaths begin to slow. "That's my girl," he said proudly.

He stood, grabbing his jacket and helped Beckett stand and into her jacket. "Time to go home," he said quietly, linking arms with the sleepy woman and helping them both into a cab. They made their way back to her apartment in silence, Beckett leaning against Castle's shoulder as she dozed.

As the cab approached Beckett's building, Castle motioned for the driver to pull over. "Here we are," he said quietly, nudging Kate out of her slumber and pulling her gently out of the car. "Could you hold it for a sec? I'll be right back," he said to the driver as he closed the door behind him.

Beckett shook herself awake momentarily when she realized where they were. "Thanks, Castle." She said quietly, straightening for a moment as they walked toward the lobby of her building.

"No problem, detective," Castle responded gallantly, making a small, humorous bow. "I've been there. Believe it or not, there have been times when I've been so dead tired I've actually fallen asleep in the middle of a meal."

Beckett widened her eyes in mock shock, "Say it isn't so!" She joked, running a hand through her hair. She paused before opening the door, turning to face him. "But I mean thanks not just for tonight. Thanks for everything – this whole week. I don't really remember much about that night when you and Esposito found me; it's mostly just a blur of feelings and sounds… But I do remember…" She trailed off for a moment, glancing momentarily at her feet as she took a breath, weighing her next words. "I do remember feeling safe because I knew you were there." She looked up at Castle, meeting his gaze. "So thank you. For that. For always making me feel safe, even when I shouldn't."

Castle looked at Beckett intensely, weighing his options. After a millisecond of considering all the things he should do, he realized none of them really mattered compared to the one thing he wanted to do. Slowly, he stepped forward and brought one hand to the side of her face, brushing her hair out of the way. He leaned forward, watching the detective close her eyes and lean into him. Castle closed his eyes in turn, holding his breath…

A loud shot rang out.

Beckett immediately stiffened and pulled Castle to the ground. "Down!" She shouted, reaching for her gun. Another shot was fired and the glass door behind the couple shattered. Castle squeezed his eyes shut, stupidly trying to protect his head with his hands. Beside him, he felt Kate's arms shake as she fired rapid shots in the direction of the shooter.

"Castle, behind the plant! MOVE!" She shouted, pulling the writer up on his feet and shoving him in the direction of a large potted plant at the entrance of the building. Castle quickly dove behind the large pot, crouching behind it as best as he could for protection. He peered around the edge of his hiding spot, watching Beckett press herself to the side of the building, quickly moving around corners in the direction of the shooter, gun drawn. "Call for help!" She shouted in Castle's direction.

Another shot rang out, then two more in quick succession. Castle ducked all the way behind the plant again, pulling out his phone and hitting Esposito on speed dial.

As he waited through the ringing for the cop to pick up, the night fell suddenly silent, the echo of the last shot fired ringing in his ears. "Esposito," the cop answered.

"Yeah – we need help, there's someone shooting at us," Castle said quickly into the phone, straining to see into the sidewalk in front of the building not touched by streetlight. Beckett was always good at hiding in shadows in situations like this, and he couldn't find her. "I'm at Beckett's building. I think she shot the guy because there hasn't been anymore gunfire, but I can't see her."

"Got it, bro," Esposito answered, his voice snapping into military mode. "Be there soon. See if you can find Beckett, but stay hidden. Leave your phone on– I want to be able to hear what's going on."

"K," Castle agreed, locking his phone and sliding it into his pocket. He was starting to become concerned he couldn't see Beckett. "Kate?" He called softly, his eyes scanning the side of the building he had last seen her. "Kate!" He called louder, switching his search the sidewalk in front of her building. He paused his frantic search when something caught his eye – something dark was starting to ooze down the sidewalk into his view.

"Oh, God," Castle said quietly, standing and rushing to the corner.

"Castle! Don't expose your position! Hide!" He heard Esposito's tiny voice order from his pocket.

Ignoring the cop, Castle reached the corner, only to freeze.

There, slumped against the side of the building, was Kate Beckett, a gunshot wound in her stomach slowly creating a pool of blood at her feet.


End file.
